This patent application claims foreign priority to South African Patent Application No. 2011/02953, filed 20 Apr. 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Priority to this application is hereby claimed.
This invention relates to the collection of a barrier which, when deployed, comprises an elongate array of interconnected flexible wire coils.
A barrier of the aforementioned kind is described, for example, in the specification of South African patent No. 98/10149. When inoperative this type of barrier is stored, in a compact form, on a trailer or similar vehicle. If the barrier is to be made operative then the vehicle is moved along a path on which the barrier is to be erected while the barrier is being payed out. This can be done in an effective and rapid manner.
The recovery of the barrier can however be tedious. The wire coils which make up the barrier have substantial resilience and carry barbs or spikes which are dangerous. Different techniques have been proposed to mechanise the recovery process.
For example South African patent No. 2006/08423 (which is related to WO2005/090716) describes a recovery device based on the use of a looped chain which moves continuously in one direction, drawing the barrier onto a boom. To the applicant's knowledge this recovery device is complex, and does not work satisfactorily.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for collecting a barrier.